Paul Hughes successfully returned to competition with a decisive victory.
On Saturday, Hughes stepped back into the cage, headlining the PFL Belfast event at the SSE Arena against Bruno Miranda. This bout was his first since a highly competitive decision loss to Usman Nurmagomedov in a Bellator lightweight title fight in January. The PFL Belfast show was prominently promoted around the return of the local hero. “Big News,” as he`s known, certainly capitalized on the opportunity by decisively finishing Miranda in under a minute.
The atmosphere at the SSE Arena was electric from the outset, fueled by Hughes`s memorable walkout featuring a live performance from Irish musician Foy Vance, which truly ignited the crowd. Hughes channeled this energy into an aggressive start against Miranda, pressing forward until he managed to catch a casual kick from Miranda. He immediately countered with a crisp left hook that dropped the Brazilian fighter. Hughes wasted no time, swiftly following up with ground-and-pound, prompting the referee to halt the contest after only 42 seconds.
After securing the swift victory, Hughes delivered a direct message to his past, and potentially future, opponent.
“Usman Nurmagomedov! You can run, you can try to delay this rematch as long as you want, but your day is coming!”
Marcus Blakely